Mission, Vision, Our Story

Why The Colossian Forum? Why Now?

The church is shrinking in the west, its positive contribution to the wider culture is in decline, and young people are leaving in droves. Why? It is, at least in part, because in the face of todayâ€™s messiest cultural conflicts the church just doesnâ€™t â€śsmell like Jesus.â€ť Therefore our . . .

MISSION is to equip leaders to transform messy cultural conflicts into opportunities for spiritual growth and witness. And our . . .

VISION is a Christian community that acts Christian, especially in the face of conflict.

Commitments

Jesus: Since Jesus is Lord, we can be a people of sacrificial love and faith, not fear

Church: The Body of Christ belongs together as a people of worship and hope

Generations: Old and young build each other up by walking and talking together in faith

Conflict: We accept divisive cultural issues as catalysts for faithfulness

Obedience: Love of God and neighbor, especially when things get hard

Formation: Christ is making us into the people he longs for us to be

Evangelism: Share the good news of the gospelâ€™s power today, especially in the midst of conflict

Mission in Action

Now in its sixth year, The Colossian Forumâ€™s maturing mission is expressed through the following programs and resources developed to ignite a culture change within the church and its related communities.

Forums, Taste of Hope events, and Workshops provide guided opportunities for worship-filled spaces of Christ-honoring conversations around culturally divisive â€śhot buttonâ€ť issues. Instead of explosive polarization, participants can glimpse a deeper vision for our unity in Christ as they observe how relationships are deepened in the midst of conflict. These events embody the truth and promise of Colossians 1:17, that â€śall things hold together in Christâ€ťâ€”including the church.

The Colossian WayÂ is small group experience designed to help Christians of all ages engage difficult questions in ways that build up love of God and neighbor. Churches or Christian schools engage in a ten-session experience where cross-generational, diverse, and often deeply divided participants engage conflict within a thoughtful and richly theological process that includes prayer, worship, and lament. Our vision is that of a growing â€ścommunity of practiceâ€ťâ€”people who together embody both truth and love in ways that reflect Christ in a polarized world.

Books and Curricular Resources that model Christ-honoring engagement across difference in the ways these materials are developed, the practices they promote, and the content thatâ€™s conveyed. Books like the recently published, Evolution and the Fall (Eerdmans, 2017), and All Things Hold Together in Christ (Baker, 2018) beautifully demonstrate this intentionality to a topic of significance to faith, theology, and the study of science.

The TeachFASTly Website is a rich teaching resource developed in response to the questions: could there be a way of exploring the intersection of faith and science that is hopeful rather than fearful? What does it look like to teach science well in this context? The result is a robust compendium of teaching activities, essays, and book reviews that encourage the best teaching practices within the context of Christian faithfulness.

If you're inspired by our mission to transform messy situations into opportunities for spiritual growth and witness, have administrative gifts and a strong attention to detail, you might be a great fit for us here at The Colossian Forum. We currently have an opening for a full-time Project and Administrative Coordinator in our Grand Rapids office.Â

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The Colossian Forum equips leaders to transform messy cultural conflicts into opportunities for spiritual growth and witness. Our vision: a Christian community that acts Christian, especially in the face of conflict.